What I Learned at Harvard

January 24th, 2011 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

I’ve been asked over and over what I got out of the three year program at Harvard Business School that i recently completed.  It’s taken me some time to fully absorb and mentally organize my observations, because I learned so much it’s hard to narrow down the experience into one cohesive Blog post.

It’s not just the Harvard program itself bouncing around my brain, but the realization that this program corresponded with one of the world’s worst financial crises since the Great Depression.  I’ll never forget that first year in October 2007, watching the large screens in the communal room as the market fell before our eyes and business as we know it changed.

At that time, I had recently separated my corporate photography business from my original business, so my revenue source was mostly from corporations, and two of my largest clients were Lehman brothers and AIG.  If any of you own a small business, you can imagine what this economic news did to my peace of mind.

At Harvard that first year, I learned about finding opportunities in turmoil.  And there was certainly a lot of turmoil. Read the rest of this entry »

Sustaining Success in a Weak Economy

August 26th, 2010 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

5th Avenue Digital recently hit its two-year anniversary.  There were no celebrations – we’re too busy working!  But the occasion gave us a reason to pause and think about how far we’ve come in the two years we’ve been operating as our own entity.  I thought our blog readers might be interested in what’s happened since separating 5th Avenue Digital from Sarah Merians Photography, and what we’ve done to keep our business viable in this weak economy.

Over 10 years ago, while still a part of SMP, 5th Avenue Digital started by doing corporate photography, and we continued to focus on this segment after the split.  However, we soon realized we’d need to expand beyond this rather narrow market.  The companies officially separated shortly before the start of the economic meltdown.  Subsequently, the corporate work (particularly with our larger clients, Lehman Brothers and AIG) dwindled drastically.  We knew then that we’d need to regroup, find ways to reach new market segments and develop new offerings, if we were going to survive.
Read the rest of this entry »

Lessons Learned at This Year’s WPO Conference

April 27th, 2010 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Once a year I have the privilege of going to the Women Presidents Organization’s annual conference, and it’s usually one of the highlights of my year.  This year’s conference in Ft. Lauderdale was no exception.

It’s not just the keynote speakers and the workshops that make the experience so valuable; it is mostly being a part of the collective energy of 500 smart, successful, honest, hardworking and philanthropic women.   Each woman there has dealt with struggles and successes, and they have such incredible compassion and warmth, I am always astonished at the almost superhuman quality I feel when I return.  Like nothing is impossible!

Here are a few of the pearls I took away from some of the sessions:
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A New Year for 5th Avenue Digital

March 1st, 2010 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

This year marks a new path for us.  Last year was more about…what do we want to be when we grow up?  We did a lot of soul searching, deciding where we fit as a stand-alone company.  In 2010 we are acting on what we learned and rolling out our plans.

This is our first newsletter letting you know all that we’re doing at 5^th Avenue Digital and our sister companies.  Please let us know what you think!  We are always looking for new ideas and ways to improve, and we welcome your input.

5^th Avenue Digital started as an innovator in digital technology, at a time when the world was still using film.  We have taken that spirit of innovation and brought it into our mission, addressing our clients’ changing needs for our products and our services.  This month we are launching our deconstructed photo booth. Read the rest of this entry »

How the Ultimate Engagement Came to be

March 1st, 2010 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

As an entrepreneur who’s been involved in the wedding industry for over the past 20 years, I’ve never known a more interesting time to come up with a new idea.

Because nothing is the same as it was ten years ago…

Ever since the internet came to be, information is on overload.  There is so much easy access to information from blogs, wedding websites and directories of vendors, most consumers find the choices overwhelming.

I started my career in the photography industry, where brides first started to purchase their wedding services online.  I saw photographers shoot one wedding with their inexpensive cameras, create quickie websites and – voila! – they suddenly became experienced wedding photographers.  Most people couldn’t detect these photographers’ lack of real experience or artistry from their websites.

As an entrepreneur, I noticed that these brides still wanted heirloom albums.  I created Album Boutique to fill that hole in the market and give all brides a chance get a high quality bound album for a reasonable price. Read the rest of this entry »

Reflections on Harvard Business School and my Event Photography Business

December 9th, 2009 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

I have been asked many times to discuss the value I have received going through this intense program to receive a Harvard Business School education at this stage in my life and career. It’s a three year program for entrepreneurs who work inside their businesses and meet the business criteria requirements.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Business behind the Artistry

December 5th, 2009 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

There will be a time in my life when I will want to remember the past two months.  The   learning was huge, quick and so important for the next chapters of my life, business and personal.  So, I decided to take some time to reflect on these experiences and how they will help shape 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

Improving Employee Moral Now is More Important Than Ever

May 5th, 2009 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

Now it’s more important than ever to keep improving employee moral and keep the members of you staff feeling motivated and valued; ensuring they will continue to perform for you and will still be around when things pick up.

There’s a lot of bad news out there. Business owners and managers are feeling the pressure. And, the rank and file is feeling it, too. The massive layoffs, corporate mergers and even failures in the news can make even the most loyal employees fearful. Loss of productivity is one of the major symptoms of fear. Boosting employee morale is something you can’t lose sight of, especially in this economy. Read the rest of this entry »

Small Business & Economic Stimulus Progam

April 17th, 2009 by Elizabeth Beskin | Share Blog

This is a post by my dear friend Shirley Moulton. http://www.etuckshop.com She has a way of making everything seem simple and easy to understand. Hope it is helpful for small business owners-Elizabeth Read the rest of this entry »